Reading from Eliot Aronson The Social Animal Aronson defines prejudice as a hostile or negative attitude toward a distinguishable group
Reading from Eliot Aronson The Social Animal Aronson defines prejudice as a hostile or negative attitude toward a distinguishable group
on the basis of generalizations derived from faulty or incomplete information. In this chapter, we will look at four basic causes of prejudice: (1) economic and political competition or conflict, (2) displaced aggression, (3) personality needs, and (4) conformity to existing social norms. These four causes are not mutually exclusive—indeed, they may all operate at once—but it would be helpful to determine how important each one is because any action we are apt to recommend in an attempt to reduce prejudice will depend on what we believe to be the major cause of prejudice. Thus, for example, if I believe bigotry is deeply ingrained in the human personality, I might throw my hands up in despair and conclude that, in the absence of deep psychotherapy, the majority of prejudiced people will always be prejudiced. This would lead me to scoff at attempts to reduce prejudice by reducing competitiveness or by attempting to counteract the pressures of confromity Prejudice can work against minorities but sometimes also discriminate in favor of minorities.
We Are Predisposed to Prejudice
Sterotyping is not necessarily and always an act of abuse, and it’s not always negative either.
Often it’s simply how our mind works. And it’s a system of organizing and simplifying otherwise complex information about our world.
Sometimes the information would be too complex for our brain otherwise, and even when it might be not, we still have a tendency to save as much cognitive power as possible.
However, the specifics of prejudice are learned.
